Did you move due to a change in your job or business location? If so, you may be able to deduct your moving expenses, except for meals. Here are the top tax tips for moving expenses.

In order to deduct moving expenses, your move must meet three requirements:

The move must closely relate to the start of work. Generally, you can consider moving expenses within one year of the date you start work at a new job location. Additional rules apply to this requirement.

Your move must meet the distance test. Your new main job location must be at least 50 miles farther from your old home than your previous job location. For example, if your old job was three miles from your old home, your new job must be at least 53 miles from your old home.

You must meet the time test. After the move, you must work full-time at your new job for at least 39 weeks in the first year. If you’re self-employed, you must meet this test and work full-time for a total of at least 78 weeks during the first two years at your new job site. If your income tax return is due before you’ve met this test, you can still deduct moving expenses if you expect to meet it.

The CA ETT (Employment Training Tax) is an employer-paid tax. Employers subject to ETT pay one-tenth of 0.1 percent (.001) on the first $7,000 in wages paid to each employee in a calendar year. The tax rate is set by statute at 0.1 percent (.001) of UI taxable wages for the employers with positive UI reserve account balances and employers subject to Section 977(c) of the CUIC. The maximum tax is $7 per employee, per year ($7,000 x .001).

Since it is employer side tax, ezPaycheck payroll software will not withhold it from employee paychecks. And employees will not see the ETT on their paystubs.

In general, you must deposit federal income tax withheld and both the employer and employee social security and Medicare taxes.

There are two deposit schedules, monthly and semi-weekly. Before the beginning of each calendar year, you must determine which of the two deposit schedules you are required to use. The deposit schedule you must use is based on the total tax liability you reported on Form 941 during a lookback period. See special rules for Forms 944 and 945. Schedules for depositing and reporting taxes are not the same.

You must use electronic funds transfer (EFTPS) to make all federal tax deposits.

Monthly Depositor

Under the monthly deposit schedule, deposit employment taxes on payments made during a month by the 15th day of the following month. Employers who deposit monthly should only report their deposits quarterly or annually by filing Form 941 or Form 944.

Semi-weekly Depositor

Under the semiweekly deposit schedule, deposit employment taxes for payments made on Wednesday, Thursday, and/or Friday by the following Wednesday. Deposit taxes for payments made on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and/or Tuesday by the following Friday. Report your deposits quarterly or annually only by filing Form 941 or Form 944.

FUTA Deposits

Deposit FUTA tax by the last day of the first month that follows the end of the quarter. If the due date for making your deposit falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, you may make your deposit on the next business day.

If your liability for the fourth quarter (plus any undeposited amount from any earlier quarter) is over $500, deposit the entire amount by the due date of Form 940 (January 31). If it is $500 or less, you can make a deposit, pay the tax with a credit or debit card, or pay the tax with your 2011 Form 940 by January 31.

Generally, employers must report wages, tips and other compensation paid to an employee by filing the required form(s) to the IRS. You must also report on the taxes you deposit.

By January 31•File Form 940, Employer’s Annual Federal Unemployment (FUTA) Tax Return. However, if you deposited all of the FUTA tax when due, you have 10 additional calendar days to file.•File Form 943, Employer's Annual Federal Tax Return for Agricultural Employees if you paid wages to one or more farmworkers and the wages were subject to social security and Medicare taxes or federal income tax withholding under the $150 Test or the $2,500 Test.•File Form 944, Employer’s Annual Federal Tax Return, for the previous calendar year instead of Form 941 if the IRS has notified you in writing to File Form 944.•File Form 945, Annual Return of Withheld Federal Income Tax, to report any nonpayroll income tax withheld in the previous year. If you deposited all taxes when due, you have 10 additional calendar days to file. See Nonpayroll Income Tax Withholding under Reminders in Publication 15 for more information.•File Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement to report wages, tips and other compensation paid to an employee.

By February 28•File Copy A of all paper Forms 1099 with Form 1096, Annual Summary and Transmittal of U.S. Information Returns, with the IRS. For electronically filed returns, see By March 31 below.•File Copy A of all paper Forms W-2 with Form W-3, Transmittal of Wage and Tax Statements, with the Social Security Administration (SSA). For electronically filed returns, see By March 31 below.•File paper Form 8027, Employer’s Annual Information Return of Tip Income and Allocated Tips, with the IRS. See section 6 of Publication 15. For electronically filed returns, see By March 31 below.

By April 30, July 31, October 31, and January 31•File Form 941, Employer’s QUARTERLY Federal Tax Return, for the fourth quarter of the previous calendar year. If you timely deposited all taxes when due, you have 10 additional calendar days from January 31 to file the appropriate return

Payoll taxes are the taxes that an employee pays from his earnings each pay period. Usually payroll taxes include:

- Federal Income Tax

- Social Security and Medicare Taxes

- Additional Medicare Tax (Beginning Jan 1, 2013)

- State Taxes

- Local Taxes

Calculating payroll taxes can be very time-consuming. EzPaycheck payroll software is designed for small businesses with simplicity in mind. It automates payroll tax calculation, paycheck printing and tax form filing. 30 days free trial is available for download with no risk and no obligation

Employees need to complete Form W-4 so that the employer can withhold the correct federal income tax from their pay. Consider to remind your employee completing a new Form W-4 each year and when their personal or financial situation changes.

Some customers contacted us and asked “Is there any free check printing software offer?”

The answer is YES now. By partnering with TrialPay, customers can get our check printing software and blank check stock for free. Customer just need to try or buy an offer from name-brand companies (Netflix, ProFlowers, Groupon, discover card and many others) and get our check writer for free. Customer does not need to pay us. We will get commission from advertisers.

Our PC check printing software has been in market for nearly one decade and is being used by thousands of business and family customers. With ezCheckPrinting, writing a check is really easy! All customer have to do is to enter the date, payee’s name and amount payable to the payee. This check writer will automatically convert numbers to words. Customer can write and print a check with just a few clicks.

Question: I copy and paste the key code, but it said "Invalid license key". Why?

Answer: Here are some common reasons that may cause this issue.

#1. You purchase the wrong key code or you installed the wrong software

Please make sure you are using the right software. You can view software name and version by clicking top menu "help", then click "About XXXXX".

Please check the key code message to make sure you also ordered the right key code

#2. When you enter the key code, you need to copy and paste the complete key code including "-".

#3. Some email server may add special characters around key code, even you cannot see it.

- You can open Notepad application, copy the license key from email to the Notepad first. (You can open Notepad by clicking the Start button. In the search box, type Notepad, and then, in the list of results, click Notepad. )

- Then you copy the key code from NotePad to your application to register it.

This process will remove the unseen charaters added to the key code by your email server.

#4. You do not have enough permission to write a new key registry or your machine has higher security settings what will not allow you add a key registry.

This issue is rare.

Solution 1: You can log in as administrator to solve this issue

Solution 2: if you are running Windows 7 or 8, you can check this article on how to run a program as administrator

EzPaycheck payroll software is very flexible. It can handle the paychecks for both employees and contractors easily. Since employer does not need to withhold taxes from contractors’ paychecks, we would like to suggest you add the second account to handle the paychecks for 1099 contractors. (EzPaycheck can support multiple accounts with no extra charge)

Click the ezPaycheck top menu “Company->Duplicate current account” to duplicate current account to handle paychecks for 1099 contractor.

You can switch the current account easily by click the top menu “Company->Select Company”.

When you add a contractor, you need to uncheck all the tax options. Then ezPaycheck will not withhold taxes from the paychecks.

Note:

If you don't like to add the second company account to handle 1099 contractors, you can also use the MICS check function to write checks for 1099 contractors quickly. You can click the left menu "Checks->MICS Checks". Click the "Add new check" button, enter the "Payee Name" and "Amount", then save this check by clicking the "SAVE" button.

You are welcome to download and try ezPaycheck free for 30 days with no cost and no obligation

A prenote is the commonly used term for an Automated Clearing House (ACH) prenotification.

Prenotes are optional for the originating company, but they are not optional for the receiving bank or credit union (the RDFI, or receiving depository financial institution) once the originating company sends one. Under the ACH rules’ National System of Fines, an RDFI can be fined if they do not validate prenotes sent to them.

Under NACHA Operating Rules (also known as ACH rules), a prenote’s purpose is to “validate” the routing number and account number of the receiving bank or credit union.

If you are a small business owners and like to calculate the taxes manually. Please follow this step by step guide on how to use federal tax table and do it manually.

For example:

Karen is the employee of company ABC. She lives in Arizona. Her withholding rate is married/withhold at a single rate. She has two exemptions and no extra withholds. She gets paid $10 per hour biweekly. She works 64 hours for each pay period.

Followings are the steps to calculate the federal tax:

1. Gross pay for each paycheck:

For each pay period, the gross pay is $640

2. Deduction for each paycheck:The standard deduction is $3,800 per year (For Year 2012).She can get total $3800*2=$7600For each pay period the deduction is: $7600/26=$292.31

3. Taxable income for each paycheckSo for each paycheck, the taxable income is: 640-292.31=$347.69

EzPaycheck payroll software is designed to automate paycheck processes to reduce the time spent on running payroll. The software’s graphic interface leads users step-by-step through setting up employee information, importing data, calculating payroll—including calculation of federal, state and local taxes; deductions for Medicare, insurance and 401(k) plans; and printing paychecks.

Priced at just $89 per installation, ezPaycheck’s graphical interface and functions are so intuitive that even users without much computer or accounting experience can start automating payroll processes within minutes of installation. Additionally, customers can try ezPaycheck payroll software without cost or obligation for 30 days.

ezCheckPrinting needs run on Windows system installed with .net framework 1.1 or later. If the .net framework was installed correctly or some DLL is crashed, user will see run time error message. Followings are the steps to re-install .net framework 1.1.

Please log in as administrator of the local machine.

1. Backup your data if needed (if you do not have import data to save, you can skip this step)

You can back up all the .mdb files in your application folder. Or you can backup your whole application folder.

The default application folder:

C:\Program Files\Halfpricesoft\ezCheckPrinting

If you are using window7 or Vista with default settings, your database file may be under folder:

FICA stands for the Federal Insurance Contributions Act.FICA taxes are comprised of two separate taxes, social security and Medicare taxes, that are paid on wages earned for services performed.Employers withhold and pay their employees’ share of the FICA taxes and also pay the employer share.

For Year 2011, the maximum taxable earnings amount for Social Security is $106,800. The Social Security tax (OASDI) rate for wages paid in 2011 is 4.2 percent for employees and 6.2 percent for employers.

Some small business owners are still calculating the taxes manually. Following is the step by step guide on how to use federal tax table and do it manually.

For example:

Karen is the employee of company ABC. She lives in Arizona. Her withholding rate is married/withhold at a single rate. She has two exemptions and no extra withholds. She gets paid $10 per hour biweekly. She works 64 hours for each pay period.

Followings are the steps to calculate the federal tax:

1. Gross pay for each paycheck:

For each pay period, the gross pay is $640

2. Deduction for each paycheck:The standard deduction is $3700 per year (For Year 2011).She can get total $3700*2=$7400For each pay period the deduction is: $7400/26=$284.62

3. Taxable income for each paycheckSo for each paycheck, the taxable income is: 640-284.62=$355.38

EzPaycheck payroll software is designed to automate paycheck processes to reduce the time spent on running payroll. The software’s graphic interface leads users step-by-step through setting up employee information, importing data, calculating payroll—including calculation of federal, state and local taxes; deductions for Medicare, insurance and 401(k) plans; and printing paychecks.

Priced at just $89 per installation, ezPaycheck’s graphical interface and functions are so intuitive that even users without much computer or accounting experience can start automating payroll processes within minutes of installation. Additionally, customers can try ezPaycheck payroll software without cost or obligation for 30 days.

A lot of small businesses are running out from home, garage, and basement even an abandoned warehouse. However with low-cost technology, even a business of one can looks big and act big. Here are the Top 5 Reasons Why Home Business Should Use Check Writing Software.

#1 Increase Efficiency.

How many times have you had to write a check quickly but of course it just so happens you are out and your new order has not arrived yet. With the right software a new one is simply a matter of going to your computer and filing out the necessary spaces. This allows you to no longer have to worry about having checks around since all you need is your computer no matter if that computer is a desktop or a laptop. Instead of dealing with each check individually and taking valuable time out of your day you have the program write individual or multiple checks quickly.

#2 Save money

Using blank check stock is much less expensive than having checks pre-printed. Plus, if you ever have to change banks or change your address or other information on your checks, you don’t have to have new checks printed—you just change the information in your check printing software and it prints the new information on the checks.

#3 Control over Design.

Home business owners always seem to worry about how their logo will look as well as proper placement. Using software that writes checks on your computer will allow you to import whatever logo you want as well as allow you to customize color and logo placement easily and quickly. Your specific signature can easily be modified and placed exactly how and where you want it. This level of control over all aspects of your check give you total control that you would not be able to get without using software.

#4 Security.

We are all conscience of security these days. Keeping your old checks in a folder in an office someplace is often not the best place for them. When you implement a software solution for your business you no longer have to worry about security. All back checks can be saved and password protected from prying eyes. You can also easily backup all that information to an external hard drive which for an extra layer of security. Some checks will need to have an MICR or Magnetic Ink Character Recognition line printed on the front of the check. The right program will have that capability to add MICR line when you need it.

#5 Management.

Switching to the right program allows you to centralize all your important financial information in one place. Design, security, and writing can happen all at one workstation without the need to have multiple folders in order to sort and manage your checks. Looking for past checks is a snap using a computer with the right program. A quick search will yield any check written to a specific client with all relevant information. Software is the best way to manage all of your needs and centralize your work easily and quickly. Registering checks as well as having multiple bank accounts tied to the program give a level of bookkeeping that can be a great benefit to many small businesses.

A program designed to write checks is a real benefit to the small business owner. Saving time and increasing your efficiency will easily make moving to a check writing software program the right move. Choose a program that has the right features that fit your businesses needs but also allows for future needs that may arise as your business grows. One MICR-capable check printing software title that is popular with small businesses is ezCheckPrinting fromhalfpricesoft.com. Buy from a reputable company as they will off you the best level of help and support should issues arise.

The efficiency of small companies often rests on the small business payroll software used. Here are six key attributes to look for when evaluating the usefulness of these programs.

#1: User-friendliness:

A good program takes into consideration users who may be trying a program of its kind for the first time. In fact avid users of accounting software still find programs that are easy to use great assets because their jobs are difficult as it is. The purpose of these tools is to help make it easier. So they must be user-friendly, whether they are being used by beginners or pros.

#2: Current Tax Tables and Tax Forms:

Most software has this information, but make sure you're not buying a previous year's edition that has outdated tax information. Since tax tables and tax forms may change several times a year, a good small business payroll software should also allow users to update payroll software easily and quickly.

#3: Good customer support:

Any company can offer an instruction manual or post a FAQ to their website. A software that comes backed with help from a live person is extremely useful. Assistance can be in the form of emails, online chats and via the telephones. Some providers will a charge for these added services but it is often worth it.

#4: Ease of paycheck printing:

As a small business owner chances are your time and resources are limited. Also, cost efficiency is a priority so taking time out to stand in bank lines or paying someone to do so is counterproductive. Does the accounting payroll program help you print the paychecks on blank check stock? Or you still need to purchase other check printing software or expensive pre-printed checks?If not, it is highly recommended that a different one be used since these are time and money saving tools that will be needed.

#5: Database back-up and restore features

Software without these features can cost you thousands of dollars if something happens to your computer or your data becomes corrupted. Back-up and restore features will allow you to get back to normal operations with a minimum of fuss. A good program should allow users backup and restore data easily.

#6: Printing tax forms and reports:

No company can successfully grow if an owner has no idea how well or badly it is doing. Company and staff performances are important to the survival of each business so a fast and accurate means of generating these when needed is important. Most small business will need to file forms 941, 940, W2 and W3. No package is complete without it.

There are a number of other criteria to think about when buying a small business payroll software. Although individual company needs will dictate what is integral and what is not, these six criteria should always be met. Vetting each software may prove to be difficult and time consuming however the time, money and resources that should be saved in the long run will compensate.

Business owners are constantly searching for new and innovative ways to decrease their costs and increase their efficiency. If you own a small business, there are many great strategies you can implement into your plans to decrease your costs and increase your productivity, but one valuable solution in particular is certainly small business payroll software. The following article will review how this software can improve your operations today.

CostThe cost savings alone can be a very attractive benefit of using payroll software. By managing your accounts on your own rather than hiring a professional to do it for you, you can save your company thousands of dollars every single month. You can then invest the money you save into more important aspects of your company that will ultimately result in further growth and productivity in the future.

Since you will be completing the employee payment tasks on your own if you choose to use software, you will also be in a position to guarantee the accuracy of the information you record. This additional benefit can help you keep track of your operations and help you make the right decisions going into the future.

SecuritySecurity is another important benefit of using a secure computer program. Payroll information is generally of a very sensitive nature, but it is very important for companies to keep clear, accurate, and secure employee records. By utilizing an in-house program, you can avoid exposing this important information to hackers on the Internet and you can also protect the computer that houses the information to secure it even further.

Many small business owners love to use specially designed computer programs to manage their employees and payments, because this type of software can help them keep their records organized and accurate. Owners who keep important employee and company records on paper files often have trouble finding the documents they need when they need them. Also, owners who keep important information about their operations in a single location are at risk of losing the valuable information due to fires and other hazards.

ConvenienceAlong with helping you keep your records organized, this type of program can also simplify all of your operations that are related to your payroll. Once you are using one of these programs, you will be able to manage employee payments in only a few short and easy steps.

You can also handle all of your tax documents using a program that offers tax filing solutions. With these programs, you can automatically calculate your taxes, create reminders to file, and you can even file your taxes online. Once you start using one of these programs, you will likely find your finances to be greatly simplified overall.

Basically, if you are looking for a great way to manage your payroll without spending a large amount of money, you should review the various small business payroll software products you can buy today. Once you have integrated payroll software into your operations, you will be able to better track your employees and your finances, but you will also be able to handle your entire operation with greater ease as well.

The purpose of Form 941-X is to correct errors on a Form 941 that you previously filed.

Due Date:

If you discover an error in

Form 941-X is due

1.

January, February, March

April 30

2.

April, May, June

July 31

3.

July, August, September

October 31

4.

October, November, December

January 31

What is new?

- Social security tax rate for 2011. The employee social security tax rate is 4.2% and the employer social security tax rate is 6.2% (10.4% total). Be sure to use the correct rate when correcting amounts reported on lines 8 and 9.

- Section 3121(q) Notice and Demand—Tax due on unreported tips. A new line has been added to Form 941 for reporting social security and Medicare taxes on unreported tips. An employer now reports the amount of the taxes shown on the Section 3121(q) Notice and Demand on line 5e of the employer's Form 941 for the calendar quarter in which notice and demand is made. Any errors discovered on previously filed Forms 941 for these taxes are corrected on line 11 of Form 941-X. In addition, any errors relating to Section 3121(q) Notice and Demand amounts reported on line 7c of Form 941 (for quarters ending before January 1, 2011) should be corrected on line 11 of Form 941-X.

- Qualified employer's social security tax exemption expired. The qualified employer's exemption for their share (6.2%) of social security tax on wages/tips paid to qualified employees expired on December 31, 2010. Any errors discovered on previously filed Forms 941 (for quarters ending after March 31, 2010, and before January 1, 2011) for this exemption are corrected on lines 12a–12c of Form 941-X.

- Advance payment of earned income credit (EIC). The option of receiving advance payroll payments of EIC is no longer available after December 31, 2010. Corrections to advance payroll payments of EIC made before December 31, 2010, can be made on line 18.

Reporting Tip Income - Restaurant Tax Tips

Tips your employees receive from customers are generally subject to withholding. Employees are required to claim all tip income received. This includes tips you paid over to the employee for charge customers and tips the employee received directly from customers.

Employee Requirements

Employees must report tip income on Form 4070, Employee's Report of Tips to Employer, (PDF) or on a similar statement. This report is due on the 10th day of the month after the month the tips are received. This statement must be signed by the employee and must show the following:

The employee's name, address, and SSN.

Your name and address.

The month or period the report covers.

The total tips received.

No report is required from an employee for months when tips are less than $20.

Employers must collect income tax, employee social security tax and employee Medicare tax on tips reported by employees. You can collect these taxes from an employee's wages or from other funds he or she makes available.

Allocation of Tips

As an employer, you must ensure that the total tip income reported to you during any pay period is, at a minimum, equal to 8% of your total receipts for that period.

In calculating 8% of total receipts, you do not include nonallocable receipts. Nonallocable receipts are defined as receipts for carry out sales and receipts with a service charge added of 10% or more.

When the total reported to you is less than 8%, you must allocate the difference between the actual tip income reported and 8% of gross receipts. There are three methods for allocating tip income:

Gross Receipt Method

Hours Worked Method

Good Faith Agreement

Employers can request a lower rate (but not lower than 2%) for tip allocation purposes by submitting an application to the IRS. Detailed instructions for computing allocation of tips, reporting allocated tips to employees, and for requesting a lower rate can be found in theInstructions for Form 8027. (PDF)

Note: The amount shown as allocated tip income is for information purposes only. You are not required to withhold Income or Social Security taxes on the allocated tip income. The amount of tip income allocated to each employee is shown in box 8 of their Form W-2.

Wage garnishment is a legal procedure in which a person’s earnings are required by court order to be withheld by an employer for the payment of a debt such as child support.

Title III of the Consumer Credit Protection Act (CCPA) prohibits an employer from discharging an employee whose earnings have been subject to garnishment for any one debt, regardless of the number of levies made or proceedings brought to collect it. More informaiton can be found at

Giving products away for free may seem like a strange way to grow a business, but for Louisville, Ky.-based Halfpricesoft.com, it has been the key to success.

Having sold fewer than a hundred copies of their payroll and check printing software titles in the first years of business, software developer Halfpricesoft.com now sells thousands of copies each year now by giving away their full-feature versions through partnerships.

Halfpricesoft.com launched in 2003 with a focus on creating payroll tax software solutions that is easy to learn and affordable for small businesses yet full-featured. The company found it difficult to market software as a start-up, since customers were unfamiliar with the company, and sold only a handful of copies in its first year.

With the knowledge that their software offered features and capability comparable to high-end business software, Halfpricesoft offered a 30-day free trial period for its products believing that when users tried the payroll and check printing software, they would realize the value offered by Halfpricesoft.com and purchase the full-use license. While the free trial period did increase sales, they remained far below expectations.

In 2008, the company produced a "Lite" version of its check writing software, with limited capabilities on some features, such as custom check designing. The company offered the new product for free on software download sites and supported it with an intense press release campaign.

But while downloads of the free software were plentiful, conversions to the full-featured paid version were minimal. The search for an effective marketing solution continued.

Seeing that free software was popular with small-business customers, Dr. Ge and his team looked for a way to utilize this powerful marketing tool that would result in sales for their premium products. The answer came in late 2008 when they discovered TrialPay.

With TrialPay, Halfpricesoft.com is able to offer the full-featured single-user version of ezCheckPrinting, ezCheckPersonal and its other software titles for free when customers purchase a product from another company. In 2009, the company ceased to offer the "lite" version of ezCheckPrinting and used TrialPay to offer the product for free. TrialPay advertisers pay for the software when customers purchase their products or services.

"We sell thousands of copies each year now," said Dr. Ge. "It's a win-win-win-win situation: the customer gets free product, we make sales, the TrialPay advertiser makes sales, and TrialPay gets commissions."

Halfpricesoft.com took full advantage of its partnership with TrialPay by launching a public relations campaign featuring the TrialPay offer in press releases and newsletters. The company also highlights the TrialPay offer on its website, encouraging customers to get Halfpricesoft.com products for free.

Some user wrote to us recently and asked why he needs to pay $59 each year to update payroll tax tables because some company already provided free payroll service (He did not mention the name.)

I do not know if there is totally free and reliable payroll software in market. But I know it is not an easy job for our programmers to keep our tax tables and forms up-to-date. Based on my experience, when you are using free software you normally get what you paid for. Free payroll software can end up the most expensive if it fails to give accurate and current data.

However it is always a good idea to download and try payroll software for free before purchasing. Each company is unique. The best way to know if a payroll software works for you is to use it. That is why we offer users 30-day free trial.

Halfpricesoft.com released the new version of ezPaycheck payroll software which includes the latest new tax tables released by the Internal Revenue Service. These tax tables incorporate the changes introduced by the Tax Relief Act, which was signed into law by President Obama on December 17, 2010.

ezPaycheck payroll software is loaded with intelligent, intuitive features, but not burdened by complicated suites of expensive applications small businesses will never use or need. The software is ideal for owners of small to mid-sized businesses, and was designed and engineered for ease-of-use by those who have only basic computer skills and little accounting know-how.